Happy Birthday, Pop

"Happy Birthday, Pop" finds Fred celebrating his 65th birthday (Redd Foxx was only 49!), Lamont wanting to know what it is that he forgot: "forget it!" Fred likes the hat as a present but prefers the sentimental card more. Lamont wants to take him out for the evening, his preference for beer giving way to a too sweet 'old fashioned.' The movie they attend is the musical "Fiddler on the Roof," which Fred also rejects: "it's all about a milkman with an ugly wife and five daughters, and he's always fussin' at God!" Dinner at a Chinese restaurant meets more disapproval: "I can't eat that Chink food...these people do their cooking and laundry in the same pot!" Ham hocks and lima beans are not on the menu!

It's strange, or maybe not so strange, that I am in my 60s and have watched Sanford and Son for decades in reruns sometimes very frequently, but I never watched Happy Birthday, Pop. I am familiar with first season Sanford and Son though. Have you noticed that Fred was much more set in his ways in the first season, at least as far as race, sexuality, gender and religion goes? This is why I think I never watched this on commercial or cable TV in reruns. Here Fred (Foxx doing some great stand up comedy), makes fun of the Whites, the Jews, and the Chinese! If you ever watch Red Foxx doing stand up on places like Youtube you will material like this (though with profanity). I loved it, laughing at every line he said. Man, Fred really upset Lamont in this but before they went out they were almost fighting too! 10 of 10, it may offend, I laughed at the white jokes (and the other jokes too, lol). BTW, I watched it on Tubi, very few commercials, not like the old days, they actually have it available!